US satellite radio group Sirius continued their steady growth yesterday by announcing that former Viacom boss Mel Karmazin had been appointed Chief Executive Officer. Current CEO Joseph P Clayton will stay on as Chairman. Confirming his appointment Karmazin told reporters: "This is a perfect opportunity for me because I want to lead a growth company that can reshape the landscape of the radio business. I am confident that Sirius will become a market leader in short order".
Sirius has become increasingly competitive in the American radio sector in recent months, most prominently through signing up Eminem and Howard Stern. The latter was in Manhattan this week bigging up his Sirius show even though it doesn't officially begin until Jan 2006 (that said, some reckon the start date may as yet come forward). He marched through the streets surrounded by strippers and fans telling everyone who would listen that they should get a Sirius satellite radio receiver, which will go down very well with the non-satellite radio stations who continue to syndicate his Infinity radio show.